shownotes_20150709

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
Sponsor: Gazelle
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News
  iPhone 6s leaks continue
    An image, reported of a leaked Foxconn document, surfaced on Chinese "twitter-like" site Weibo
      Showed a front-facing iPhone camera component that was 5MP
    Also been hearing about a new 12MP front facing camera and 2GB of RAM
    An updated NXP-sourced NFC chip
    A new Qualcomm modem that would enable faster LTE connections
    Still a 16GB base model.
    Improved processor, Force Touch, and new "rose-gold" color, use 7000 Series aluminum (like Apple Watch)
    Could have a thickness of 7.1mm (to accommodate Force Touch) and still has a home button
    A Chinese blog reported that the date for a Keynote announcement would be September 11th
      Unlikely because of the date itself and it’s significance in the US as a day of remembrance
      Also Apple keynotes typically happen early in the week and September 11th is a Friday
    A Wall Street Journal article claims Apple’s plans to order a record-breaking 85 to 90 million units to have ready at launch from suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron.
  Apple Pay UK invasion
    Apple Pay will reportedly go live in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 14.
      There are rumors still though that Apple is working through negotiations with Barclays
    According to 9to5 Mac who says Apple informed retail staff for the supermarket Waitrose that they would be getting training on supporting Apple Pay on July 12th ahead of the launch
    The system will be limited at first to transactions under £20 which will soon be increased to £30 and may be raised higher in the future.
      This limit is already in place for other forms of NFC payments.
    In the US Apple also recently added another 23 banks to the list of U.S. banks supporting Apple Pay
  A Homogenized Apple Store
    It’s been expected that Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts was going to may some big changes to the Apple Retail buying experience and looks like some of those changes will be visible soon.
    A couple weeks ago we heard that Apple planned to redesign accessory displays offer fewer options.
    And now we’re hearing that many of the products that will be there will look familiar.
    Apple is said to have worked with 3rd party manufactures to create packaging that looks more like Apple’s own packaging.
      Simpler fonts, new photography, higher-quality materials, and more consistent compatibility labeling.
      Companies said to participating are Tech21, Sena, Incase, Logitech, and Life Proof.
    Mophie is the first to have Apple’s redesigned packaging in stores.
      New boxes for the Mophie Power Reserve, Mophie PowerStation Plus, Mophie PowerStation Duo, and Mophie PowerStation XL are beginning to show up now.
    Not sure this "assimilation" is good or not.
    Good for the store aesthetic, but could confuse consumers I would think.
    Apple is also emphasizing the quality of the products selected for their stores
      A new Apple Cases Tested section on their online store highlights testing areas: design, camera, acoustics, sensors, and cellular and wireless for iPad, iPhone, and iPod cases
      Making sure cases fit and have full access to all ports and buttons
      Durability in drop testing and device protection
      It’s one of the first times I can think of that Apple has publicly explained some of the requirements they set for a company to get a product on the shelves at an Apple Store.
  Home Sharing coming back
    While many of us are enjoying Apple Music that came along with iTunes 12.2 and iOS 8.4 many were upset to find that Home Sharing for Music was gone.
    Eddie Cue said on Twitter that Apple is working to bring Home Sharing back in iOS 9.
    It was first noted that Home Sharing might not make it into iOS 8.4 when the developer release notes said Home Sharing and Genius Mixes were "not currently available," in the release.
    Home Sharing is still there for video though.
  Apple Watch sales perspectives
    Market watch published piece commenting on a report from Slice which shows a dramatic drop off of Apple Watch sales following the initial opening week of sales.
    According to the Slice Intelligence numbers they estimate Apple is selling roughly 10,000 to 20,000 Apple Watches a day in the US. A 90% reduction in the rate of sales from the opening week
    They also show that two-thirds of Apple Watches being sold are the lower priced "Sport" models
    The assumption is that interest in Apple Watch among consumers is dropping rapidly spelling trouble for Apple’s latest device.
    But some are calling into questions Slice’s methods and data
      Slice uses data from online order receipts for customers who opt into their service.
      In store sales data isn’t counted
      But still it does indicate a trend and this kind of trend data has been used in all kinds of context for years.
    Still the data does show some good and possible bad signs for Apple
      On the one had Apple’s watch is selling at about double the rate for other smartwatches currently in the market. They also sell at a price point that start at about double their competitor’s
      Even selling just 10,000 Apple Watches a day Apple would sell approx. 3.65 million Apple watches, more than double the total smartwatches sold by Samsung in 2014. And at a higher price point for more total revenue. Also that first week Apple was estimated to have sold at least 1.5 million Apple Watches, so that number is higher.
      But if you look at Apple Watch as an overall piece of Apple business it’s not looking to make a significant impact and might live up to the hope Apple had for it.
      I think the concern is at this point it’s not looking like another iPod, iPhone, or iPad.
      Thing is I’m not sure Apple was expecting it to be, nor that it could be.
        Apple is up against not only other smartwatches, but other wearables and fitness bands.
        Currently the device is also an iPhone accessory, and not everyone "needs" (or wants) an Apple Watch.
      Apple’s competitors are still struggling in the Smartwatch space as well and Apple’s numbers are better than their competitors.
      Watch OS 2 holds a lot of promise with native 3rd party apps and that alone could make the device more relevant to more customers.
      New hardware in the future could also make the device more appealing.
      It’s definitely too early to call Apple Watch a dud. Apple still has the best and best selling smartwatch on the market. Really the question seems is there enough of a market to make it a successful product.
    Apple Watch 2 Rumors
      External design may remain the same
      Apple is working with Samsung on a thinner display
      Inner components are also being moved and shrunk to make more room for battery.
      No idea when Apple plans to update the Apple Watch
    Despite what happens with Apple Watch some analysts are predicting big numbers in the June quarter for iPhones
      Apple will report the results of its June quarter on the 21st
      According to Apple Insider, Brean Capital told investors it expects Apple to announce it has sold as many as 53 million iPhones in the quarter
      That would be about 3 to 5 million more than current market projection which are between 46 and 50 million
      And analysis from Canaccord Genuity suggests that Apple has maintained almost 50% of US smartphone market share in the June quarter.
    The Mac numbers should also be good.
      IDC is estimating that Apple will have sold just under 5.14 million in the quarter.
        That’s a 16.1 percent year-over-year increase in a quarter when PC industry sales shrunk by about 11 percent overall.
  Apple public betas hit the streets
    Apple released the 3rd developer betas of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan
    The iOS 9 beta contained:
      An updated Music app with access to Apple Music, something promised by Phil Schiller
        Also has a toggle switch in Music settings to allow high quality audio streaming over cellular networks.
      The first version of Apple’s new News app.
      A new two-factor authentication system
      App folders on the iPad are now 4 x 4 instead of 3 x 3
      New "selfie" and "screenshot" folders. Selfie’s contains any images shot with the front-facing iSight camera.
      And other small tweaks and performance improvements
    I have not seen as many details on what’s in the new El Capitan beta, but seems like it has the Photos and two-factor authentication updates of iOS 9 and the usual bug fixes and performance improvements
    The first public betas of OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 are coming out for those who signed up to test prerelease versions.
    As always I would recommend NOT installing these on any systems that are critical
      Use a separate Mac or iOS device that is Not your primary system
      Create a separate bootable volume to run the BETA on.
      Backup everything before hand.
      Remember it’s not easy to roll-back on iOS.
    Use your power as a beta tester wisely. Report bugs. It will help us all.
      When you install the beta it will have Apple’s Feedback Assistant app
      Give as much detail as possible when submitting bugs.
    You an still sign up at Apple’s Apple Beta Software Program page
    If you’re already in the Developer Beta program the Public Beta versions may be different.
      Developers usually get access to newer betas sooner than the public beta testers.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Clarify the Apple Music DRM scare
    There has been a LOT of confusion about this and I realize my coverage might not have been clear enough either.
    Yes, all Apple Music has DRM. It’s in a new Apple Music format
      That DRM also doesn’t play on any iPod that doesn’t run iOS 8 (so only the 5th gen iPod)
      The "offline" files on other music streaming services also have DRM
    It doesn’t add DRM to files already in your Library. If you bought it or ripped it and it’s in your Library it’s still DRM free.
    If a track is "matched" to one in Apple’s Apple Music library then that file saved for offline listening to another Mac or device that doesn’t already have that track locally WILL get a DRM’d Apple Music "copy".
      If you don’t want that version then copy the original ripped version to that device.
      If you own it, then pull it down from your 'Purchased' music in iTunes, not the Apple Music copy.
    Your unmatched, but uploaded tracks, don’t get DRM’d
    Turning on iCloud Music Library doesn’t cause your local ripped or purchased tracks to get DRM’d
    Apple Music’s iCloud Music Library is NOT a backup
      You should not get Apple Music, turn on iCloud Music Library, and then delete all the local copies of your music.
      If you do you will only have access to the DRM’d versions when you try to re-download, but why would you do that?
      You would still be able to re-download iTunes purchased music DRM free
    If you want to match your music and have it available to all your devices DRM free then buy or keep iTunes Match.
    Don’t use iCloud Music Library on Macs or devices where you don’t want to get DRM’d copies of music that isn’t already on that device.
      You an still use Apple Music and stream, but I don’t think you’ll be able to download without turning on iCloud Music Library.
  Apple Music in Russia
    So last show I mentioned the news story that Apple Music seems to be priced variably depending on country. For example I had seen that in India it was about 120 Rupees (~$2.00 US/mo.)
    Well turns out it’s also a deal in Russia. Play comment from Andrey
    I half wanted to play that comment because I think it’s my first from Russia, but I also want to hear more from you if you’re using Apple Music in different countries.
    I’m wondering if there are other differences? Is the content regionalized? Does your selection vary? I would imagine that it does, but not sure how we’d verify?
    Looks like Apple is looking to extend regional pricing to other parts of it’s business beginning with the App Store
      Developers now have the option to set alternative price tiers in in countries like India, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey. (Special pricing for China has existed for some time.)
      In India for example there is a 10 rupee, about 16 cents and a 30 rupee, about 30 cents low price tier.
  Fixing car podcast playback
    On the previous episode we were trying to help John with a car integration issue related to podcast playback
    There were a number of fixes and suggestions:
      Use Playlists, the Podcast app has a 'Recent Episodes' playlist built in.
      Connect via Bluetooth, not a direct cable. Disadvantage is you lose the in car system integration and steering wheel controls. Have to touch the phone to use Siri (if you don’t like 'Hey Siri')
      Use a different Podcast app, Hands down 'Overcast' was the one most frequently recommended.
    Jeremy says in some car system you can’t have two different devices connected to the same car by different means at the same time.
      So and iPod connected on USB and an iPhone connected via Bluetooth.
      I would think this makes sense because how would it know which device has priority on the speakers.
      But he says he can connect his Android phone at the same time his iPod is connected to USB on the same system
  Theories on two lenses
    Last time I talked about a rumor that Apple is exploring multiple lens systems for future iPhones and asked about what the benefits would be. Well, I got some responses:
      Play comment from John
    I don’t think it’s 3-D, and hope it isn’t.
    A lens array can capture more "depth" information and that can be used to improve the image quality
      Now that "depth" could be used for 3-D, but I don’t think that’s what Apple’s interested in.
      Could be used for things like, adaptive focus (being able to change focus after the picture is taken) or enhancing depth of field in an image.
      Array cameras can also enhance spectral resolution.
  How does "brute force" hacking work?
    Our recent discussions about passwords and security seems to have struck a chord in the Maccast community
    You’re giving me a lot of great feedback and questions. One that came up a lot this week was about how "brute force" hacking works and why wouldn’t rate limiting on password attempts stop it?
    So of course I grabbed George Starcher and we got into it, take a listen
      Play interview with George
    Hope that help clarify things, and please keep any questions or comments you have coming.
    Listener Matt has an analog way to generate memorable, but completely rundown long passwords
      I love it because it’s also super nerdy since it uses dice. It’ called diceware
      You need 5 six sided dice and the word list.
      Each roll you write down the number from the dice, 13146 for example. And you do it "x" times for the number of words you want in the password at lest 4-5 I would think
      Then you reference the wordlist using the numbers to get your words, so '13146' for example is 'axon'.
      Then you string those together to get your base, 'axonsonorakanehive' fro example
      Then roll two more dice to determine inserting a number, 1,4 to insert a 4 after the first word 'axon4sonorakanehive'
      Same for adding capitalization 3,2 (third word second letter) 'axon4sonorakAnehive'
      While I love this, as you might note from my discussion with George it’s flawed. It uses a know word list, so that could be used as a dictionary in an attack.
      Still it does generate an unbiased random password with a lot of entropy that is human memorable.
      Sticking with a 1Password totally random password I think is still better, but a lot less fun.
    Another listener uses what she calls the "Goofy phrase" method.
      "I love stinky cheese but only if it comes from the moon"
      Capitalize words 1,4,6,9.
      Add % after the 5th word and put the number 42 on the end followed by a #.
      So you get: "IlsCb%OiiCftm42#"
  Rise of Scareware
    If you’ve been surfing the net in any capacity over the past year you have likely encountered a new kind of annoying, and sometimes scary, spam or adware.
    Typically called adware or "scareware" or ransomware. It’s these browser pop-ups that take over your screen and tell you it’s locked or infected and ask you to call a number to get it cleared up
      The pop-ups are often disguised to look like they are from legit sources, like legit anti-virus apps or even the FBI
    I have seen it myself and a listener this week emailed that he was getting them constantly. It’s also a now an almost monthly topic at my user group meeting Q&A.
    The good thing know is that these, while annoying, are a scam and you should NEVER do anything they ask you to do.
      They are hoping you will call a number and hand over more private or financial data.
    The worst part of the screwier is that they act as a DOS on your browser. Closing a pop-up, if you can, often only spawns more and they don’t seem to be stopped by pop-up blockers. Worse because many browsers will re-open browser tabs on next launch they will often come back.
      I’ve also seen ones that will delay and pop back up later
      You’ll often get them from legit sites that have been hacked or have received code from advertising services that they legitimately use.
    So what can you do?
      Don’t panic.
      Force quit your browser
        Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu or press its shortcut, Command-Option-Escape.
        Option-click on the Web browser’s icon in the Dock, and choose Force Quit.
      Open your browser without previous tabs
        Hold the Shift key while launching Safari
        Hold 'Option' to launch Firefox in 'Safe Mode', and then click Refresh Firefox in the Firefox Safe Mode dialog
        In Chrome, before you force-quit, click the hamburger button to the right of the address field, choose Settings, and in the On Startup section of the Settings page, select “Open the New Tab page.”
    Typically these attacks are initiated from a website that has delicious code on it. Either on purpose or because they have been hacked.
    Still it might also be from Adware or malware that made it’s way on to your Mac, so you’ll also want to scan you Mac.
      Try Adware Medic from the MacSafe folks. (Donation ware)
    Tidbits also pointed to a Safari Plugin, called ScamZapper, that could prevent future attacks.
      Maintains a database and block known malicious code.
  Thing of the Moment: Monoprice Bluetooth Wireless On-Ear Headphones
    "with Microphone". That just rolls off the tongue right?
    Despite the lackluster name, these things are great.
    These are basically Beats Solo 2 Wireless knock offs, though they don’t have the 3.5mm plug.
    Do have on headphone controls and an on-headphone mic. You can activate Siri, play/pause, skip, and control volume. Also take calls, etc.
      I can’t speak to call quality since I haven’t used that feature
    Bluetooth 4.0 and I’ve had no drop outs or issue over the past couple of weeks.
    Materials seem solid and they have metal hinges and a folding design. Comes with a carrying bag and micro USB cable for charging.
    The battery life has been amazing. Up 36 hours of continuous music listening according to Monoprice.
    Even the packaging and unboxing experience was awesome.
    Unlike Beats though they don’ t have the premium price. Just $48 bucks and have been on sales for under $40.00
Closing
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